Catamenial bandage



- Dec. 1 5, 1936. A. P. JURGENSEN' 2,064,431

CATAMEN IAL BANDAGE Filed Sept. 29, 1934 INVENTOR. Auawr P .f/PEZA/SE/V TTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, was

Di TEES Zhhii NEAL BANDAGE Application September 29, 1934, Serial No. 746,128

2 Claims.

The invention relates to the construction of catamenial bandages and has its chief application in connection with catamenial bandages of the general. type now made, in which the pad element of the bandage is customarily constructed as an integral unit of substantial length so that the ends of the pad must necessarily be bent upwardly in the front and at the rear when the bandage is worn in order to conform to the anatomy of the wearer.

Various attempts have been made to improve the fit of such bandages in order to render the same less conspicuous when worn, but so far as I am aware such attempts have been mainly directed toward the pointing or rounding or the reduction in thickness of the end portions of the pad element, without any special regard to the intermediate or central portion of the pad portion which when applied must necessarily assume a folded shape.

I have found that in the case of the ordinary napkin when it is applied, the central or intermediate portion of the napkin, when so folded, to fit the person of the wearer, should assume a more or less curved or saddle shape, and in assuming said shape the central portion of the napkin develops a wrinkle in addition to which the marginal edges of the pad portion at the ends of the folded and curved intermediate portions tend to stick out laterally. These tendencies not only result in discomfort to the wearer, especially in the case of stout women, but they also tend to make the napkin somewhat conspicuous.

I have discovered that these tendencies, and

these objections can be substantially or completely eliminated or corrected by preventing the material of which the pad element is constructed from developing internal strains or stresses due to its assumption of a folded and curved saddle shape when it is applied. The principal object therefore of the present invention is to use a napkin construction in which the pad element of the napkin can be folded and bent to the desired saddle shape without the development of ,improper internal strains or stresses, so that it will readily conform to the desired shape and contour, and thereby avoid discomfort and unsightly projections.

In the drawing accompanying this application, Fig. l is a plan view of a napkin constructed according to my invention, certain parts of the gauze wrapper being shown removed in order to illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the napkin shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pad element of said napkin showing the shape which it assumes when it is actually applied to the person. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the pad element shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig.

4, and Fig. 6 is a plan View similar to Fig. 1 but showing a slightly modified construction.

Referring to the drawing, #56 and #H are the ends of the gauze wrapper, by which ends the napkin is secured to the wearer either to a belt or to some article of clothing in the usual manner. The number l2 represents the pad element of the catamenial bandage, the intermediate or central portion of which serves to absorb the menstrual flow.

Said pad element #l2 may be constructed of such material as is usual or customary for that purpose, for example a plurality of superposed sheets of cellulose tissue, or one may use other materials such as cellulose pulp or vegetable cotton, or combinations of various materials as desired.

By inspection of Fig. 4 it will be readily seen that the distance from ends it and M of the pad element, when in the applied position, is considerably greater by way of the line 85 or lower edge of the pad than it is by way of the top surface it of the folded portion, so that if the pad section I2 is of uniform cross section throughout its length, in order to force the pad element to assume the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the material of the pad must stretch along the bottom edge E5 of the fold, or it must be compressed along the upper edge or surface it, or both of these results must occur. The tendency therefore is for the upper surface it to develop a wrinkle, usually at the point marked H on Fig. 4, and the lower edges of the fold will be pulled upwardly and necessarily to some extent outwardly at the corners l8 and I9.

I find that these tendencies can be practically eliminated by a substantial weakening of the cross section of the pad element in zones intermediate the end portions and the intermediate or central portion of the napkin, preferably at about the point where the folded part of the pad element joins the upwardly extending front and rear end portions.

Such weakening of the cross section of the pad at the desired zones can be effected in various ways. However, I prefer to obtain this result by making small slits or slots #26 in the pad element, as indicated in Fig. 1. Such slots are preferably obliquely arranged as shown, the angle of obliquity and the length of slots or slits being such that their inner ends are spaced slightly more than one inch, or approximately one third of the total width of the pad element. The outer ends of the slits or slots extend almost to' the edge of the pad element so that at the outer ends of the slots or slits there is a very narrow neck #28, which is without any substantial tensile strain, and readily stretches or gives way when subjected to the tension which is incidental to the application of the bandage.

The slots or slits #20, when arranged as shown, not only relieve the tensile or other strains in the material when the napkin is applied but also permit the end portions of the pad element to bend upwardly with and along the lines of said slots or slits.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing, where a modification is shown, I have illustrated said slits or slots as extending outwardly to the extreme lateral edges 10 of the pad element, as indicated at #22.

I claim:

1. A catamenial bandage provided with an elongated absorbent pad or filler element which is provided adjacent each end with a pair of 

